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Friday, September 14, 2012

Restaurant Review,The Puritan Backroom Restaurant, Manchester, New Hampshire, a great value with large portions

Seeing that the Puritan Backroom is an institution in the Manchester area, I thought it would be worth a visit. What makes this establishment so popular? Well, the famous chicken tenders of course. Rumor has it that when Adam Sandler comes back to Manchester for a visit he heads for the Backroom for the tenders. Not only are they delicious, they are also a great value. Portion size is large so you can enjoy them for a second meal. Since our first taste of tenders many years ago, we have been to the Puritan Backroom a number of times and it has always been a great experience.

For those of you who have dined here, you know this is a very busy establishment and navigating the parking lot can be a little challenging. Often, you will find yourself driving around a bit until you find a spot. As usual the waiting area was packed and I was told that it would be about a 45 minute wait. So to pass time we headed over to a table in the bar area for a few adult beverages. Luckily, we only ended up with a 35 minute wait.

Every time we dine at the Backroom we look at the menu but know deep down we will order the usual - the fried chicken tenders. These are served with your choice of starch, rolls and butter followed by a greek or garden salad. They are also accompanied by a sweet duck sauce which according to my wife completely makes the tenders. When our meals were delivered it was again a huge portion as you can see below:

I don't know about you but I like to have enough for left overs and there is always plenty at the Backroom. We have also tried and suggest you do the same, the broiled chicken tenders. They come with a salty (soy based) sauce that is out of this world and great for dipping your french fries. Although we did not have an appetizer on our most recent visit, one of our favorites is the Espinaca dip.

Now I don't want to leave you with the impression that the menu only consists of chicken tenders. In fact, there is a large menu which features lamb, pork, veal, chicken, seafood, beef and vegetarian dishes as well as salads and sandwiches.

For dessert I suggest you try their ice cream. It is my understanding that it is home made right on premises and one of my personal favorites is their grapenut. They also serve ice cream year round in the front of the building where the takeout area is. This might be helpful during those long winter months when all the little ice cream stands are closed.

The service was very good, professional and attentive.

Needless to say we recommend the Backroom without hesitation. If it's good enough for Happy Gilmore, isn't it good enough for you?